Improvement in grain-drills



' THOMAS & MAST.

Seed Dropper.

No. 50,545. Patented Oct. 17, I865.

UNITE STATES PATENT OEEicE.

J. H. THOMAS AND P. P. MAST, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAlN-DRILLS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it know that we, J. H. THOMAS and I. P. MAST, of Springfield, in thecounty of Clarke and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Grain-Drills; and we hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and to theletters of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the bottom of a hopper and seed-slides of agrain-drill containing our improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of thesame, looking from below upward; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal verticalsection taken in the line ofm 00, Fig. 1.

The nature of our invention consists in certain improvements upon thedevices patented to us on the day of 1S6 by which we are enabled tochange the size and shape of the openings through which the grain is fedin the seed-slide, and therebyadapt the machine to sowing various kindsof grain more perfectly than heretofore.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use our invention,we will proceed to describe it.

A represents the bottom ofthehopper, made of wood.

B represents the metallic seed-slide, located directly underneath thewood bottom, and being supported by ametallic frame or bottom secured tothe under side of the hopper-bottom, and provided with a shut-01f slide,these parts being all constructed and arranged as described in thepatent granted to us and dated to which referenceis made for a moredetailed description.

Experience proves that when the openings in the seed-slide are made ofthe proper size for wheat, as in our former patent, and when provisionis made for enlarging the hole in one direction only it will not operatesatisfactorily in sowing oats and similar grains the kernels of whichare longer than those of wheat, for the reason that the oats, beinglonger than the diameter of the openings or holes in the seedslide,become lodged across said openings and thereby prevent the propor flowor distribution of the seed. Even in cases where but one end of the oat.becomes lodged upon one side of the slide it is still prevented frompassing through by the pressure of the superincumbeut mass of grainwhich prevents the oat from tipping up so as to pass through endwise.

Our present invention obviates this difficulty in a most efficieut andsimple manner; and it consists,primarily, in making the openings in theseed-slide ot' the form shown by D in Fig. 1. A square block or lug, (J,projects upward from the metallic plate or frame underneath the slide B,and is made of such a size as to just till that portion of the hole oropening at either side of the central enlargement, as shown in blue inFig. 2. The wood bottom is so located in relation to metallic bottom, ofwhich the lugs 0 form a portion, that the upper face of said lugs areentirely or nearly covered by the wood; and as the wood and metallicbottoms are firmly united, this relative position of the parts is alwaysthe same. The seed-slide B, however, is movable, and is provided with ascrew, G, at one end of the hopper, by which it can be adjusted asdesired.

When it is desired to use the machine for sowing oats, rye, and similargrain, the slide B is adjusted as shown in Fig.2, in which case the lugO occupies or fills the right-hand portion of the opening D, and thusleaving an opening of the size and form shown at E of Fig. 2. WVhen thusarranged it will be seen that the grains of oats will drop through theopening in the slide when presented in either of the positions indicatedin red, and that thus the machine is made to deposit them regularly, andall clogging or choking is prevented, whereby the bunching of the seed,as it is technically termed, is obviated.

\Vhen it is desired to use the machine for sowing wheat, the slideBismovedstill farther to the right, as shown in Fig. 3, in which case thelug O occupies the central portion of the opening D, leaving exposed therectangular opening F, the remaining portion of the opening D beingdrawn under the edge of the wooden bottom, as there shown, whereby thewheat is prevented from entering any portion of the original opening D,except that shown at F, which is of the proper size to permit grains ofwheat to pass through readily, no matter in what position they arepresented, as there indicated in red.

By these means we produce a machine that will sow oats, wheat, barley,rye, and similar grains in a most satisfactory manner, and thus save thenecessity of employing different machines or different seed-slides inthe same machine.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. A seed-slide orhopper-bottom provided with rectangular holes or openings for thepassage of the grain, when said openings are of such a form that by alongitudinal movement ofthe slide containing the openings, or of thepart which covers or closes the same, said openings shall be bothwidened and lengthcned.

2. The seedslide B, provided with holes D, constructed and operatingsubstantially as set forth.

1?. P. MAST. J. H. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

B. HoL'rz, W. O. DODGE, WILLIAM ENocH.

